Christian Apologetics for the Artist

Christian apologetics began with the need to defend our faith, from those who would challenge it. The word comes from the classical Greek word ‘apologia’. It is a legal term used by the defendant for a rebuttal, when the prosecution delivers the ‘kategoria’, or the charge. Sadly, Christian apologetics are necessary in a world that denies the very existence of God.

‘Since the creation of the world, God’s
invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature - have been
clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are
without excuse.” Rom 1: 20

This recent discovery makes an excellent apologia for any artist – both indisputable and breathtaking, for sheer genius.

Suppose I gave you a creative design challenge. Your job is to design an object able to withstand enormous pressure (the equivalent of 1600 elephants standing on Mini car.)

This
object must not not only withstand constant, intense pressure, but also
impenetrable darkness and frigid temperatures.I’ll make it easy for you
– you do not have to make it a living organic thing, needing to be fed
and sustained! Just tackle the pressures and the temperatures. Then give
it some mechanical eyes to see.

The
best minds in the world did succeed at this challenge. They created a
sturdy camera pictured designed to travel deeper than man had ever
explored. This camera descended 4.6 miles below the surface of the sea.
The flesh and blood designers stayed safely above, watching with
curiosity – yet not really expecting to discover much.

Their
flesh would be crushed, if they dared travel so deep. If they were
somehow successful and attempted to resurface again, their fragile
bodies would explode. But with this heavy-duty camera, they could now
view the bottom of one of the deepest trenches of the ocean.

Fully
understanding their limitations, their imaginations only stretched to
the possibility of finding frail and listless creatures, if they
discovered anything at all.

“We
thought the deepest fishes would be motionless, solitary, fragile
individuals eking out an existence in a food-sparse environment,” says Professor Monty Priede, director of Oceanlab.

In
contrast to the heavy, metal camera that represents the best of their
engineering abilities, what they discovered were delicate, active fish
that were social and energetic!

Image source: www.treehugger.com

If I
were blessed with even a smidgen of such talent, I would have created
blind, armor-plated, gigantic creatures with rock hard bodies that moved
ponderously along the ocean floor!

Yet
these look like fragile, albino catfish. But they are different –
possessing unique vision in deep darkness, along with the ability to
withstand pressure and cold. Imagine the challenges of sustaining such
creatures - few shrimp and carcasses of other sea creatures, being their
only dietary fare!

Amazingly,
there they are, five miles below sea level - active, energetic,
delightful creatures, flaunting the sheer genius of their Maker.

Using
the familiar form of a fish, God has created countess complex
variations that confound and delight, these fish being just one example.
This is artistic genius that does not have to debate if "form follows
function"! Both criteria are met with finesse.

These
fish demonstrate the genius that feels no compelling need for applause.
These incredible creatures, hidden from human eyes for eons of time,
are an excellent example of a compelling Christian apologetic.

This
Creator of unparalleled genius, rejoices when man, the only created
being made in His image, comprehends the unique challenges of such
creativity. God delights when we uncover His genius. Yet we dare to
challenge His very existence. The created world is full of unimaginable
creativity, hinting at the presence of God. Everywhere there is
creativity, beyond randomness or human comprehension. Its depth and
complexity leaves us breathless.

Why are we so reluctant then, to acknowledge our Creator?

"And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand His power?" Job 26:14

That,
my friends, is Christian apologetics of the artistic kind. If nothing
else, take away a reverent awe of One so remarkable, that even the
depths of the ocean proclaim His genius.